Osea (Vincent Harling)/Civilopedia
Osea About Ace Combat The Ace Combat franchise mostly takes place in a fictional world (dubbed "Strangereal") that's described as "very accommodating" in regards to blending real world weapons with fictional super-weapons. Compared to real-life Earth, Strangereal features entirely different continents and historical events. Pre-20th Century The Osean nation is known to have existed prior to the 19th century; early modern navigational maps display the location of its capital Oured and other notable cities, implying they have existed for quite some time. Early Osean history prominently featured imperialism and territorial expansion, with the nation frequently being in conflict with the Belkan empire in the 19th and 20th centuries and the Usean continent in the 1990s. Osean War (1905-1910) Between 1905 and 1910, Osea entered war against Belka in what is commonly referred to as the Osean War. Circumstances surrounding the war are scarce, but what was known was that the war marked one of the first instances aircraft were used for combat, with the Osean Air Defense Force being formed as a result of the early successes the Belkan Air Force had in the war. Cold War (1950-1995) Beginning in the 1950s, Osea began expanding its influence overseas, causing Osea to enter a cold war with its rival superpower, the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, across the Ceres Ocean in the 1980s. Throughout the Cold War between Osea and Yuktobania, there were times when nuclear war between both countries were a frightening possibility. In addition, an arms race caused both nations to pursue different paths of weapon research: the Yuktobanians pursued the development of ballistic missile submarines (giving birth to the Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi-class submarines) whereas Osea pushed the development of atmospheric weapons systems (which led to the conception of the SOLG and the Arkbird). In the 1990s, the cold war ended as neither side could gain the strategic advantage over the other, coupled with the fact that both Osea and Yuktobania cooperated in the 1995 Belkan War. At around the same time, Belka was undergoing a crippling recession and allowed several of its regions seceded from Belka; to further alleviate the recession, Belka allowed the Osean government to purchase and annex its Great Lakes region. At the same time the purchase was made, the Osean government proposed a joint venture with Belka to mine natural resources which were believed to exist in large quantities in Great Lakes region, with the Belkan government promised a substantial amount of the profit. However, it was revealed that the reports made by Osea were falsified and Belka publicly condemned Osea. As Belka's recession worsened, the extremist Belkan Liberal Democractic Party took power in Belka and promised to undo the damages caused by the recession via military conquest, resulting in Belka invading their former territories and triggering the Belkan War. Belkan War (1995) In March of 1995, the Belkan government declared war on Osea, invading the regions previously absorbed by Osea. In response, Osea allied with Ustio, Sapin, and Yuktobania to form the Allied Forces to combat the Belkans. While the Belkans held the initiative thanks to their legendary Belkan Air Force, the Allied Forces eventually began to push the Belkans back. As the Allied Forces were about to push into North Belka, the Belkan government performed one act of desperation: on June 6 1995, they detonated seven nuclear bombs on their cities with a death toll of over 12,000. As a result, hostilities ceased in June 20, 1995 with Treaty of Lumen that heavily favored Osea and resulted in Belka losing the southern half of its territory, which was now North Osea (the locals prefer to call the land South Belka). The detonation of the nuclear devices - and the lives lost - convinced the major powers to embark on a global arms reduction. Era of Peace (1996-2010) In the aftermath of the Belkan War, Osea assimilated the region of North Osea and allowed the Gründer Industries (formerly the South Belkan Munitions Factory) to develop and manufacture advanced military hardware for the Osea military. In 1996, Osea signed the Yuktobanian Peace Treaty, bringing the decades-long Cold War with Yuktobanian to a close. There were some resistance to ending hostilities, as some time after the signing, members of the OADF Wizard Squadron attempted to assassinate the Osean president. Instead of making weapons to overcome the other, both nations agreed to collaborate on projects involving manned and unmanned space flights. In 1999, the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid which was detected two years ago finally collided with the earth, landing on the continent of Usea. Although absolute disaster was avoided, the fragments of the Ulysses asteroid was enough to cause considerable damage throughout the continent, and both Osea and Yuktobanian dedicated resources for humanitarian aid. While the worst of the Ulysses asteroid was over, there were still the debris that lingered in orbit and scientists from both Osea and Yuktobania came together to discuss how to best remove them; it was ultimately decided that the newly-reborn Arkbird would be used to clear the asteroid fragments. In the early 2000s, Osea and Yuktobania, together with the nations of Verusa and the Federation of Central Usea, collaborated on a international space station project. In 2008, Osea hosted the G7 Summit which saw the historic push towards arms reduction, such as the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, much to the chagrin of Osean officers who saw the arms reduction as a sign of weakness. Usean Continental War (1997-1998) As Osea and Yuktobania were growing in strength and influence, the rate at which they grew brought concern from the nations from the continent of Usea and they decided to form a union to counteract the two superpowers. While the northern nations agreed to form a Usean union, some nations in the south opposed to it, preferring to join the Osean Federation for security. In 1998, on the day Osea agreed to sign a defense pact with those nations, rebels launched a large-scale coup d'état throughout the Usean continent, sparking the what is officially called the First Usean Continental War. As the treaty was not completely signed, Osea had no obligation to directly intervene in the conflict and as a result, remained in the sidelines. This kept Osea from interfering anymore in the Usean continent, explaining their absence in the Second Usean Continental War. Circum-Pacific War (2010) In September of 2010, Osea experienced a series of airspace intrusions by the Yuktobanian Air Force. Shortly after, Yuktobania declared war on Osea, its former ally. On October, the current Osean president, Vincent Harling, departed the capital for a peace conference in North Point and disappeared for months. In his absence, the nationalistic Vice President Appelrouth and others who advocated war took control of the Osean government and initiated the full-scale land invasion of Yuktobania. It was this war that the legendary Wardog Squadron came to light, enabling the Osean military to win victories; however members of Wardog Squadron were accused of being traitors and after successfully faking their demise, joined up with the Osean carrier Kestrel and became the Razgriz Squadron. Later in the same month, the Razgriz Squadron discovered where Harling was held prisoner and rescued him, enabling him to return to the capital and regain control of the Osean government. With Yuktobanian Prime Minister Nikanor (who, like Harling, was abducted to prevent peace talks from happening), Harling revealed on live broadcast that the war between Osea and Yuktobania was orchestrated by a Belkan extremist group called the Grey Men which also planned to use a WMD against either of the two nations. With the war now officially over, the combined Osean and Yuktobanian forces - in conjunction with the Razgriz Squadron - were able to successfully subvert the Belkan plot. Years after the war, the circumstances surrounding it were classified by the Osean government. At the 2014 Osean Federation Council meeting, Harling announced that the details surrounding the war would be declassified and available to the public on 2020. Lighthouse War In the early 2010s, Osea began a new project of increasing relations with the Usean continent by assisting them with their continuing recovery from the Ulysses 1994XF04 disaster. To accomplish this, construction of the International Space Elevator began in Gunther Bay near the city of Selatapura which would supply the region with high quantities of solar energy. To safeguard the construction efforts, Osean military forces would station naval warships, aircraft, and the newly-developed Arsenal Bird aerial warships to protect the structure. On May 2019, Erusea declared war on the Osean Federation after interpreting their presence as a threat to their sovereignty, rapidly launching drone strikes in multiple Osean military bases and assets to cripple their military as well as seizing the space elevator and the Arsenal Birds, setting off what would be known as the Lighthouse War (or the Second Usean Continental War). In retaliation, Osea struck the Erusean capital, causing severe damage to the city. Though the International United Nations (of which Osea was a member of) made efforts to recover the Space Elevator, the Eruseans were able to utilize the Arsenal Birds to great effect, wiping out most of the IUN forces and ensuring that the Space Elevator would remain in Erusean hands. The highly precise nature of Erusea's drone strikes, in comparison to the widespread collateral damage Osea inflicted, gave Erusea the sympathy of the international community, furthering their hold on the space elevator. Despite the setbacks, the IUN were slowly able to turn the tide in their favor thanks to a certain new ace pilot. Once the first Arsenal Birds was destroyed, IUN forces were able to besiege and successfully capture Erusea's capital Farbanti on September 19. However, the victory was short-lived as the war made an unexpected turn for the worst. The increasingly desperate nature of the war saw both Erusea and Osea employ their anti-satellite missiles, mutually wiping out all of their respective satellites around the globe and bringing about a communication and information blackout. This created chaos and anarchy throughout the Usean continent, with the entire Erusean nation fragmenting: the Radicals who wished to continue the war against Osea, the Conservatives who sought peace, and the various states that Erusea once annexed now leaping at their chance for independence. Worse, the information blackout caused the vast Erusean UCAV fleet to go rogue and threaten both Erusea and Osea, bringing the two former enemies - along with the Erusean princess Rosa Cossette D'Elise - together to fight against the Radical Eruseans and their rogue drones. Facing off against the drone armada, the final Arsenal Bird, and then two super-advanced UCAVs in a chaotic and costly battle, the coalition triumphed and the war was brought to a close. The International Space Elevator would soon return to IUN control but with the Erusean nation now splintered into pieces, the Osean Federation allowed princess Cossette to form a provisional government by the space elevator to help promote peace and to shelter the refugees. Vincent Harling First Presidential Term Vincent Harling's first presidential term began in 2004 after receiving a majority of 44,312,243 votes in the general election with the nationalistic Appelrouth as his running mate. While the world was in crisis once he entered office, Harling was able to ensure that Osea remained outside of conflicts. During the first four years of his term, the Osean economy flourished and was able to enter friendly relations with Yuktobania. In his effort to keep peace, Harling cut the military's budget and redirected it to the creation of the Basset Space Center, much to the dismay of his political opponents who believed that it would leave Osea vulnerable to a potential attack. Second Presidential Term In 2008, Harling was reelected with 48,562,134 majority votes. When the G7 Summit in 2007 was canceled due to terrorist attacks, Harling was able to host the 2008 Summit onboard the Arkbird, stating that it was a place "beyond national boundaries". There, Harling proposed the use of the Arkbird to clear away the Ulysses fragments that still remained in orbit and contributed to hsitoric disarmament treaties between Osea and Yuktobania. In Spetember of 2010, when reports came in of Yuktobanian aircraft intruding Osean airspace and killing Osean servicemen, Harling chose to not retaliate. Only when Yuktobania formally declared war and inflicted casualties on Osean personnel in Eaglin Straits, did Harling approve the installation of outfitting the Arkbird with its laser-cannon module. In October, Harling chose to meet with the Yuktobanian Prime Minister Nikanor in the neutral country of North Point to hold peace talks. En route, Harling's transport plane was escorted by Wardog Squadron and protected from anti-air defenses and Yuktobanian fighters; however, it was forced to make an emergency landing where the 8492nd Squadron (actually Belkan operatives) "escorted" Harling to Stier Castle in Belka. During his period of abscence, Appelrouth assumed control of the office to prolong the war. In December, Harling was rescued by the former Wardog Squadron and attempted to broadcast the truth about the war. When that failed, Harling made the decision to return to the capital in person. In December 30, Harling made a live broadcast alongside Prime Minister Nikanor exposing the truth behind the war: both nations have been manipulated by the Belkans, who held ill-will towards both nations. Thanks to both leaders' call to peace, the Belkan plot was foiled by a combined Osean and Yuktobanian force. Third Presidential Term In 2012, Harling was elected to serve a third term as president. At the 2013 Osean Federation Council meeting, Harling announced that all information pertaining to the war would be available to the open public in 2020, believing that only time would "shed light on the truth behind the conflict" and that the world had "already begun to head down a new path". In the meantime, he improved relations with Usean countries by advocating the construction of the International Space Elevator near Selatapura as a collaborative peacekeeping effort. Through the space elevator, it was hoped that it would provide enough solar energy to help Usea as they still continued to recover from the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid. Post-Presidency On June 5, 2019, Harling - now no longer serving as president - happened to be touring the newly-constructed Space Elevator when Erusean forces seized the facility upon the declaration of war between Osea and Erusea. Fortunately, Harling happened to be accompanied by a military colonel who hid and protected Harling from the Erusean occupiers until the moment came for the IUN and Osean forces to mount a rescue operation. Although the allied forces had successfully escorted Harling to a viable aircraft, it was damaged during the dogfight around the space elevator. With the pilot wounded, Harling took control of the aircraft, but for reasons unknown, he had the aircraft turn back towards the space elevator. In the midst of the chaotic battle, enemy UAVs began swarming Harling's transport and with one flying close to it, an air-to-air missile struck the transport, resulting in Harling's death. The nearest Osean pilot at the time, Mage 2 (callsign Trigger) would be accused to assassinating Harling and be reassigned to serve in the penal Spare Squadron for performing the most egregious crime. However, it would later be revealed that Erusean warmongers who had acquired revolutionary Belkan drone technology were the true culprits behind Harling's death, as it enabled Erusea's drones to fool Osea's IFF system. It was all but confirmed that an Erusean UAV, disguised as an Osean fighter, fired the missile at Harling's aircraft in such a way that Trigger would take the blame for it. Unique Components Wardog An air-superiority unit named after Osea's legendary 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron nicknamed the Wardog Squadron. Since the beginning of the Circum-Pacific War, the squadron was led by Captain Bartlett (callsign Heartbreak One) but after Bartlett was shot down, the squadron was led by its new captain (callsign Blaze). The other squadron members consisted of Kei Nagase (callsign Edge), Alvin Davenport (callsign Chopper) and Hans Grimm (callsign Archer). After Davenport was KIA, Marcus Snow (callsign Swordsmen) joined and Wardog Squadron was renamed the Razgriz Squadron, after the mythical being that supposedly destroyed the world, died, and reincarnated to save the world. Airbase The airbase is a military installation dedicated to housing, launching, and maintaining a variety of aircraft. As a result, such land-based installations were crucial in every aerial operation (aircraft carriers shared the same role with the added advantage of mobility). Airbases were found throughout every nation that could afford an airforce, a notable one being the Sand Island Air Force Base which first housed the legendary 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Category:Civilopedia Entries Category:Fictional Civilizations